Tag Archives: Middle East

February 11, 2013 · 9:57 pm

Makassed Talk, AUB and Sidon Walk

Yesterday, My daughter Jessica and I walked through the campus of the American University of Beirut to see their archeological museum, visited Al Makassed (the Makassed Philanthropic Islamic Association of Beirut) to hear a talk, then toured the ancient city of Sidon or Saida. The impressive talk was to the Makassed students by His Eminence Bishop Gabriel Caccia, Vatican Ambassador to Lebanon, about Christian-Muslim understanding and dialogue. The talk coming on the day of the surprise resignation of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI made it even more interesting. I was honored to sit next to Bishop Caccia at lunch and benefited from his charming informal remarks. We also discussed MentorCloud, TechWomen, and the benefits of professional mentoring. After lunch, Jessica and I were delighted to be given a night tour of the Sidon souk and other old stone remains of some of the many cultures which have lived in this amazing place.

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February 10, 2013 · 10:47 pm

Friends in Beirut

The 2013 TechWomen delegation to Jordan has sadly said its goodbyes. Most of us have returned to Algeria, Palestine, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Yemen, Tunisia, Jordan, and the USA. We will continue to communicate on email, Skype, LinkedIn, Facebook, by telephone and sometimes even through precious visits to each other’s homes.

My daughter Jessica and I traveled yesterday to the lovely city of Beirut, Lebanon, to visit more TechWomen friends and to meet with Al Makassed (the Makassed Philanthropic Islamic Association of Beirut). Our dear TechWomen friends Sukaina Al-Nasrawi and Maysoun Ibrahim met us in the hotel lobby when we checked in, then took us on a walking tour of downtown. We were honored to have a driving tour and marvelous dinner with Dr. Amine Daouk, President of Makassed, and Adla Chatila, Makassed’s IT and Finance Director (my amazing and talented TechWomen 2012 mentee). We look forward to seeing even more of this fascinating place today.

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Tagged as Algeria, Egypt, Episcopal church, Jessica, Jordan, Lebanon, Mentoring, Middle East, Morocco, Palestine, technical women, TechWomen

February 9, 2013 · 7:36 pm

TechWomen at Petra

On our last day together, the TechWomen delegation drove by bus from our Dead Seaside hotel to the ancient city of Petra. As with many “touristic” locations, souvenir vendors and sellers of services (in Petra’s case: camel, donkey, and carriage rides) are as much a part of the site as are the ruins. I took so many photos that the poor computer service at our hotel could not handle the upload – so I will post the image of Jessica and me on camels later. The colors of the sandstone were luscious and changed as the light shifted during the hours we walked through Petra. The TechWomen said goodbye to our beloved friends as the delegation left for home. Jessica and I fly from Amman, Jordan, to Beirut, Lebanon, today.

TechWomen Tour Dead Sea Area

Yesterday, the TechWomen delegation enjoyed a day of rest and exploration. Some of us stayed at our Dead Seaside hotel to enjoy the spas and a quiet time. Jessica and I went with the group who visited the site of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River, then Mount Nebo where Moses died. For the Christians among us, the baptism site provided a moving opportunity to pray together in a holy and historic place. In the evening, the TechWomen gathered to watched the sun set behind the mountains before we enjoyed our final dinner and dancing as a group. Today, we tour Petra then sadly go our separate ways.

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February 7, 2013 · 11:19 am

TechWomen Meets Princess Sumaya

Today, the TechWomen delegation visited the Princess Sumaya University for Technology to meet students and professors. We were honored also to meet Her Royal Highness, the intelligent and remarkable Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan herself, who spoke to us about her strong support for technology and entrepreneurship in Jordan. I was particularly honored to be among the members of the delegation who joined the Princess upstairs for a brief discussion about our work and the TechWomen program. I also got to speak with Professor Issa Batarseh, the capable and charming President of the university. We discussed the Plug and Play Technical Center, MentorCloud, TechWomen, and the benefits of professional mentoring. I hope that today’s meetings will result in continued and strong connections between the technical communities of Jordan and the Silicon Valley.

After the PSUT meetings, we left Amman for the Dead Sea and Petra where the TechWomen will spend a quieter time with each other before going home to our many countries.

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February 6, 2013 · 8:39 pm

TechWomen Meet the Girls

Yesterday, the TechWomen delegation met with talented girls at Injaz and the Jubilee School. We were deeply inspired by their energy, bright potential, and delight in learning. We were also treated to women entrepreneurs presenting on their startup companies at the Oasis500 MENA tech incubator. We finished the day learning to cook local dishes with the women of Beit Sitti. It was a day full of delight to our hearts and minds.

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February 5, 2013 · 8:12 pm

Into the Mountains with TechWomen

Yesterday, the TechWomen delegation headed into the northern mountains of Jordan to visit technical women graduate students at JUST ( Jordan University of Science and Technology and their Dean, Dr. Rehab Duwairi, and the craft collective leaders in the village of Koura. The village treated us to a feast in a meadow of wildflowers and interesting rocks. We ate macmoria (chicken pie), tabbouleh, hendbe, yogurt, dolma, freekeh and other wonderful delicacies. Then, we went into town where my team and I gave a workshop on how to sell artisanal crafts though e-commerce. We finished the day with a big Italian dinner in Amman.

My daughter Jessica arrived safely after midnight and will join the delegation’s activities today.